I'm Starting to Wonder

[Jasmine333]

I'm starting to wonder if it's possible someone bought Oliver from Petco before I did but decided to return him. Petco told me I had 30 days to return him, but it is past that period now and I don't want to get rid of him anyway. He has brought a smile or laugh too many times to not have him around.

He now will come to me when I open the cage door and sit at the door frame and nibble at my hair if I put my head down near him while talking to him. But he still won't get on my hand and goes back to the top perch even when I gently raise my hand. This leads me to believe that somewhere sometime he has had a bad experience with hands. Other than when someone put the leg band on, which surely was no picnic for him, his fear of hands has me guessing because I've had him nearly two months and hands are still a no-go.

 

[noodles123]

This is actually totally normal for a PetCo bird...Heck, my tame cockatoo (an adult rescue/adoption) knew how to step up but wouldn't do it for around 3 months. She already knew the skill..
Yours was housed with many other birds and didn't get much handling and birds all move in slow-motion (plus, budgies mature faster than larger birds, which means that (temporary) "sweet" baby behavior window is shorter). Although it is possible that someone else had him first, I would say that his behavior is 100% normal even if you are his very first home.

Hands cause fear in lots of birds and they move in slow motion. Give it time--- you are on the right path.

 

[Jasmine333]

One great thing about Oliver which I was afraid I was going to have trouble with is the fact when he does leave the cage he will return to it on his own. No problems so far there.

 

[noodles123]

That is good!!! If he leaves and returns without much trouble, that is a great sign of balance in terms of his extroversion etc.

 

[fiddlejen]

I got my Petstore budgie Jefferson when he was just barely old enough to be sold, but he has Always been Mr. Lookee No Touchee. There’s no way the store ever had time to sell him to anyone else, it’s just who he is. I think this fairly common among budgies